Ashes 2019: England and Australia's most thrilling Test tussles after Stokes' Headingley heroics

Leeds, Aug 25: England and Australia served up another all-time Ashes classic at Headingley as the hosts somehow secured a one-wicket victory to level the series.

Ashes 2019: Ben Stokes plays knock for the ages as England level series in unbelievable classic

Joe Root's team had looked dead and buried, in both the contest and the series, when chasing a record 359 in the third Test.

Still needing another 73 when last man Jack Leach came to the crease, England pulled off a miracle thanks to Ben Stokes' unbeaten 135.

We take a look at other thrilling Ashes Tests after the humdinger at Headingley.

Headingley, 1981. England won by 18 runs

The Yorkshire venue is no stranger to Ashes epics and it proved to be the site of a turnaround in the 1981 series. England started the third Test 1-0 down and were embarrassingly made to follow on having made 174 in response to 401-9 declared.

They still need another 122 just to make Australia bat again when Ian Botham came in at seven. However, 'Beefy' took over. A brilliant unbeaten 149 gave England (356) some hope and Bob Willis (8-43) tore through the Aussies as they were rolled for 111.

England again sneaked a narrow win in the next Test, dismissing Australia for 121 when they needed only 151.

Edgbaston, 2005. England won by two runs

The greatest Test from the greatest series of them all for a certain generation of England fans. They must have thought, 'Oh no, here we go again' when Australia thrashed their arch-rivals by 239 runs at Lord's, yet events in Birmingham changed the course of the series, and English cricket.

It started with Australia great Glenn McGrath stepping on a ball in the warm-up for day one, ruling him out as England posted 407 first up. Yet Shane Warne's 6-46 saw the hosts skittled for 187 second time around.

Struggling in pursuit of 282, Australia put on 104 for their final two wickets but fell just short as Michael Kasprowicz could not avoid a Steve Harmison bouncer, leaving Geraint Jones with a simple Test-clinching catch.

Adelaide, 2006. Australia won by six wickets

There was an emphatic Australian response to the series loss in 2005 as England were whitewashed Down Under. A 5-0 drubbing looked extremely unlikely when England started the last day of a high-scoring second Test 59-1, 97 runs ahead.

However, they folded to be dismissed for 129, and Australia went at 5.11 an over to make the 168 runs they need with six wickets still in hand.

Cardiff, 2009. match drawn

Four years on from their first home Ashes triumph in 30 years, England faced an opening Test backlash in Cardiff as Australia responded to their 435 by declaring on 674-6, four of their batsmen posting centuries.

England, bidding to battle to a draw, started the final day 20-2 and were five down by lunch, yet Paul Collingwood's half-century frustrated Australia.

Final pairing James Anderson and Monty Panesar were then the unlikely heroes as they survived 11.3 overs and Australia failed to get the one wicket they needed to win.

Headingley, 2019. England win by one wicket

A new entry joined the Test thriller list on Sunday. Few would have predicted that when England were shambolically skittled for 67 in their first innings - their lowest ever total at Headingley.

Australia set them 359 for victory and all hope looked to be lost when they still needed 73 as number 11 Leach joined Stokes at the crease. But, once again, Stokes answered his country's SOS, delivering perhaps his finest innings across any format in posting 135 not out to somehow see England home.